Atkins Elementary rises to increased level of rigorATKINS — Since the implementation of Common Core State Standards, schools across the state have changed to more rigorous curriculums, including elementary schools. "Students are now asked to hypothesize, problem solve, make inferences, validate, investigate, apply their learning to authentic tasks and ask questions about their learning," Atkins Elementary School Principal Rocci Malone said. Malone said she is proud of how successful her studen...

House panel supports disbanding lottery commissionLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas lawmakers are ready to scratch the lottery commission from the list of state decision makers. A bill to shift responsibility for Arkansas' struggling lottery from the independent nine-member commission to a governor appointee cleared a committee Wednesday. No member of the House Rules Committee voted against the measure and no one spoke against it. If the bill becomes law, the state Department of Finance and Adminis...

House rejects school district formation billLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A proposal to relax restrictions on creating new Arkansas school districts narrowly failed in the House. Lawmakers voted 49-25 on Tuesday to reject a proposal to lower the amount of students an upstart district needs to splinter from an existing one. The measure fell two votes shy of being approved. Republican Rep. Mark Lowery of Maumelle wants to lessen the requirement to 2,500 students. He said the move would allow Maumell...

Jonesboro transportation officials to mull university loopJONESBORO (AP) — Jonesboro transportation officials are set to consider the completion of a loop around the Arkansas State University campus. The Jonesboro Sun reported a Jonesboro Area Transportation Study Metropolitan Planning Organization committee will mull the plan on Tuesday. The overall cost of the University Loop Extension project has been estimated at $2.5 million. Officials plan to extend a portion of the loop from the east side of t...

RSD offers wellness screeningsThe Russellville School District (RSD) jumped into a new wellness initiative that is part of the school board’s goals that were recently established by offering a free health screening to every employee. Nearly 200 employees participated. Kyle Turner, a health consultant of the Wellness Works Department from Saint Mary Regional Health System, visited every campus. The health screening provided such information as blood pressure, pulse ox, body...

Pope Library hosts literacy programThe Pope County Library System (PCLS) invites residents to take part in a new literacy program at the libraries. The One Thousand Books Before Kindergarten (1KBB4K) program is a fun and exciting reading program that will increase literacy for children ages 0-5 years to bridge the literacy gap that exists for children between “poverty” or “making it.” The program was developed by the 1KBB4K Foundation, based in Nevada, to increase awareness of ...

Hector's finances improveHECTOR — A consideration of the district’s financial status and a change to the scheduled graduation date were the major items of business during the Hector Board of Education meeting this week. Superintendent Walt Davis told the board — as they reviewed the detailed monthly reports required by the Arkansas Department of Education listing Hector schools as being in fiscal distress — that the increasing balances reflected real improvement, even...

Atkins’ enrollment increasesATKINS — Superintendent Mark Gotcher told the Atkins Board of Education during its regular meeting that enrollment was up slightly in January. "The board has charged me with providing a monthly attendance report in response to our declining enrollment that has occurred this [school] year," Gotcher said after the meeting. By the end of January, enrollment was 992 students, up from 990 at the end of December. The board approved seeking video sur...

Scheide's Southern Drift more than a homework assignmentPOTTSVILLE — Pottsville High School senior Mikayla Scheide has applied her education outside the classroom. Scheide is involved in the Future Business Leaders of America, Beta Club, Student Council and Student Representatives, and she has already committed to the University of Central Arkansas, where she will study business management and marketing. Scheide already has more experience in the clothing field than most her age since she started h...

Teacher pleads not guilty to stealing guns from districtASHDOWN (AP) — An Ashdown School District teacher who coached the district's skeet shooting club has pleaded not guilty to charges of stealing shotguns used by the club. The Texarkana Gazette reported Friday that 41-year-old Terry Simmons pleaded not guilty to two counts of theft of property. Simmons allegedly sold or traded the guns at a pawn shop. The guns were among 10 used by the skeet club and kept in a safe at the Little River County She...

Vidovic to offer classical guitar performance at ATUAna Vidovic will make her second consecutive appearance as the featured performer in the Arkansas Tech University Classical Guitar Series on Tuesday, Feb. 17. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. in the Doc Bryan Student Services Center Lecture Hall at 1605 Coliseum Drive. Admission will be free and open to the public. This is the fourth year for the Arkansas Tech Classical Guitar Series. Previous performers have included Peter Fletcher in 2012, G...

Painting royaltyDwight Elementary School first graders took a field trip Thursday morning to Paint With Lane at the Russellville City Mall where the girls painted princesses and the boys painted princes.

RJHS Quiz Bowl team places fourthThe Russellville Junior High School eighth-grade Quiz Bowl team recently competed in the Arkansas Governor’s Quiz Bowl Association Invitational Tournament. The Whirlwinds finished 5-2 on the day, which was good enough for fourth place out of 16 teams in the 5A-7A large school bracket, in spite of being shorthanded for each game. Russellville only had three players all day while all other competitors had teams of five players. In Game 1 of the ...

Gleason donates $67,000 to Tech FoundationMildred Diane Gleason, associate professor of history at Arkansas Tech University, made a $67,000 gift to the Arkansas Tech Foundation that will allow the institution to provide scholarship assistance for qualified individuals of Mexican descent. Gleason’s gift fulfills the final requirement of a $33,000 grant that Arkansas Tech received from the Consulate of Mexico in Little Rock in November 2014. The university was required to obtain a match...

Clarksville student to compete at stateCLARKSVILLE — A sixth-grader from Clarksville won a region-wide chemistry competition and will move on to compete at the state level. Roc Webb, a sixth-grader from Kraus Middle School, bested a field of 17 students to become the River Valley You Be The Chemist Challenge Champion. Local students came together in Clarksville to compete for the top prize. Webb will represent the River Valley at the state-level competition. Developed by the Chemic...

Davis helps celebrate Black History Month as speakerArkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus announced Edmond Davis will be a guest speaker to help celebrate Black History Month. Davis will speak at 9:45 a.m. on Feb. 17 in the Student Services Conference Center. This event is free and open to the public. A class facilitator at Arkansas Baptist College and the University of Phoenix in Little Rock, “Davis is believed to have the largest collection of Arkansas Tuskegee Airmen history memorabilia in t...

Cyclones cheerleaders in national finals todayORLANDO, Fla. — The Russellville Cyclones cheerleading squad will perform Sunday during the National High School Cheerleading Championships here. RHS cheerleading coach Shirley Carr said Saturday night the team will perform at around 5:30 p.m. Sunday. The Cyclones finished in the top two out of 52 cheerleading teams on Saturday to advance to the national finals. The Cyclones can be watched online at the National HS Cheerleading Championship we...

Hot Springs group gets $2.7 million grant for child careHOT SPRINGS (AP) — A Hot Springs organization is being awarded a $2.7 million federal grant to provide access to learning and care for young children. The grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families is being awarded to Community Services Office, Inc. It's to be used to improve access to learning opportunities for infants and toddlers from low income families. The grant program was develo...

House OKs expanding computer science in high schoolsLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas House has approved legislation expanding computer science classes in the state's public high schools and charter schools. The House on Thursday voted 99-0 to require the schools to offer the courses either in a traditional or online setting starting this fall. Supporters have said the courses would be offered online through Virtual Arkansas, a digital delivery system that serves 180 districts in the state. The m...